Cream of Potato Soup

I'm typing this slowly and with much backspacing because I am a dumbass. Yesterday, as Mike was down the street helping a friend move, I decided to make a salad with all the fresh local veggies we had purchased at the Market House. While I was slicing carrots in the mandoline, I also sliced off the tip of my thumb. It was hanging on by a flap (gross, I know) and bleeding bunches, so I threw a towel over it, loaded the boys in the car, and went to track down Mike so he could drive me to the hospital. Four hours and three stitches later, things were much better, but my thumb is still pretty sore and will be out of commission for a while. And so the crappy typing.

Evan was a great help during my little mishap, and it's really nice to have him at an age where he does things all by himself. He doesn't need help to brush his teeth (unless I want it done well) or get dressed or buckle his seat belt--the most assistance he needs these days is unwrapping the straw for his juice box. This couldn't come at a better time, since Grady seems to need my full attention always lately. He's quick on his feet now, and getting into everything. He's trying to climb on the furniture, and sometimes he's actually successful and then he can't get down. He can open cabinets and get over obstacles that he couldn't manage just last week, and it's really making things interesting around the house.

I had the boys out at the park this evening, and it was nice. There weren't too many kids there, and the ones that were there seemed to be close to Grady's age, save for one four-year-old girl who took a liking to Evan. The other parents and I chatted while the kids played, and it made for a very pleasant evening. One thing I did notice was that the little girls close to G's age were much more verbal, though they lagged way behind him in walking and other gross motor stuff. I have been noticing that a lot with girls, they all seem to be more skilled with the talking stuff. I know there's a joke here about girls yapping on the phone constantly later in life, but I'll let it slide.

G is talking more lately though. He'll usually say "hi" to you, and he does babble quite a lot. Today he was talking to the little painted animals on the merry-go-round at the playground, and he was giving them kisses. He seems to be more engaging and social than Evan was at this age, but I'm not sure. I guess my memory isn't so great on that point. I know Evan did talk a little just after his first birthday because I wrote it down, but I guess I'm just not sure when that stopped or if it was as much talking as Grady is doing now. At any rate, we're encouraging G to do as much talking as he can because I don't know if we can fit any more therapies in our schedule. Ha.

Posted by jenny at 9:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)

Tomorrow wraps up Erie Blogs Week at the Community Blood Bank . If you haven't donated already, please consider doing so--you're not only helping the community, but you have a chance to win lots of awesome prizes as well! The blood bank is open from 9 am until 6 pm tomorrow, and Mike and I will be there donating in the afternoon. I hope to see some folks up there!

Posted by jenny at 6:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Yesterday, the boys and I were playing on the living room floor after lunch. I was singing "Funkytown" to Grady, for no other reason than that was what popped into my head.

Evan (aka Mr. GPS) turned to me and asked, "Where is Funkytown?" and without waiting for my answer he said, "I think it must be by Pittsburgh."

Posted by jenny at 10:22 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)

My friend Elaine emailed a bunch of us girlfriends from high school a few weeks ago with an idea--the almost impossible thought of eight of us getting together for a weekend getaway in the fall. In her first email she was apologetic, thinking that we'd all be too busy or too budget conscious or not interested in making the trip. But we were all interested, and without much effort we were able to find a weekend in October and pick a city, and flights have already been booked for two nights of girl time and catching up. I'm excited, as the lot of us haven't been together in probably seven years and it will be so much fun to just all be together again.

The only thing that's strange is that we're all in really different places right now, more so than ever before. Some of us are married, some single, some have kids, some don't--we're not even close to being on the same page. I'm hoping it won't matter, that we'll still be able to find stuff to talk about and laugh about and it will be like no time has passed at all.

Speaking of time passing, yesterday was the Hamot NICU reunion at Waldameer. Evan, Grady and I went up for the day, and we met Lisa and her crew there. This was our second reunion, as they are held every three years. Hard to imagine that Ev will be 8 at the next one! But it was a good time--Ev enjoyed playing with Lisa's son Cole in the bouncy castle and at the petting zoo, not to mention riding every kiddy ride at least three times. Ev will never get tired of Waldameer--he's already asked to go back next weekend.

I don't think much about Evan's time in the NICU anymore, not like I used to. But Lisa and I were discussing the experience at the reunion because unless you've had a child in the NICU, you really can't begin to understand what it feels like. She was saying how emotional it was for her, and I was thinking that I was just the opposite--during the time of my illness and Evan's birth, I was completely numb. I was in shock I think, and I just went on autopilot. I did what I had to do, and I tried not to think about what we had gone through, how Evan had to fight to breathe and eat and grow, and what his prematurity meant for our future.

I think Mike had to shoulder a lot during that time--worry for my health, for Evan's, for how he was going to care for us both. I didn't realize most of this until after the fact, just like I don't think I realized how serious the whole situation was until after it was over. I remember opening gifts at Evan's first birthday party, and Jerry had made a donation in Evan's honor to the NICU, and I read that in the card and I lost it. It was such a sweet gesture, and it meant so much to us, and it just made me cry. I cried a little yesterday too, just flooded with all those memories of our NICU stay and how caring the nurses were, and all the things that have happened in the years since. Even though yesterday was a celebration, it still makes me a little teary to think of Evan's first weeks, and how many other families have gone through that same difficult experience.

I'm thankful for the reminder of that time though, no matter if it is painful--it makes me appreciate everything we have now that much more. Mike and I were brought closer together through that experience, and we found out how lucky we were to have friends and family who would help us and hold us up during our darkest days. We appreciate our time with Grady that much more too, knowing that it isn't always this easy, knowing what a blessing we have with both of our boys.

Posted by jenny at 9:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I haven't felt much like blogging lately. It's not that I've been much busier than usual, I just haven't felt like sharing. Or I have felt that I've been sharing all the wrong things. I'm not sure. I've been writing here for six years next week (six years since I saw those two pink lines that would change everything--an eternity!). I don't think I want to stop writing--I'd just like to maybe change things a little. A little more of me thrown in with the boys. A little less of the day to day, a little more of something else I haven't figured out yet. I'll keep trying.

Mike has a post up about old rides at Waldameer, and a lot of people have been sharing their memories of the park. I love it there--I don't think I've missed a summer yet, and even though it's not quite as exciting as when I was small, I still enjoy it. There's something so funny about watching my son ride the same kiddie rides I loved as a child (especially the cars that go "eheheheheh").

I made Evan go into the Pirate's Cove with me when we were there Sunday, and it about made him wet his pants. I guess he wasn't quite ready--I told him it was kind of like a maze, but he told me that it was "scary and there are weird noises in there". We're going to Waldameer again this Sunday for the Hamot NICU reunion, but I don't think we'll be going in the Pirate's Cove again, or the Whacky Shack either. This is a shame, because I always liked those two rides. And they are included in the "rides that don't spin" category, which are the only things I can manage anymore. Even the Paratrooper makes me a little woozy now, which is a real pisser because that thing is fun.

Posted by jenny at 9:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

We've been on the go since late last week, with a family picnic and the end of Jerry's visit, a long weekend in Cleveland, and a trip to Idlewild with my dad yesterday. The boys have been having a lot of fun, but I'm glad we'll have a few down days here to return to normal bedtimes and less running around. Unfortunately, with all the running we missed yet another Erie Bloggers function--this time a picnic at Glenwood. Mike and I haven't made it to anything since the first meeting in March of '06, and that's a disgrace. But it always seems like the weather is crappy or we have something else going on or who knows what, but we're definitely going to have to work on that.

Speaking of Erie Bloggers, two weeks from now we'll be in the middle of Erie Blogs Week at the Community Blood Bank. When you donate blood the week of July 23-27, there will be a special sign-up sheet where you can sign in to donate as well as record what local blog you'd like your donation to be counted towards. One random donor as well as the blog that gets the most referrals will win a great prize basket with items donated by local businesses and organizations. The prizes include great stuff like iTunes gift cards, gas cards, family membership to the Erie Art Museum, wine, and Campbell Pottery. It's a great way to get out and help the community--tell them Cream of Potato Soup sent you!

Posted by jenny at 9:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Grady's test results came out better than we expected--he's only really allergic to egg, and the allergy is such that he can't have scrambled eggs or hard boiled or eggs over easy, but he can still eat brownies and pancakes and other stuff that has egg in it. So we are lucky there. I'm glad we went down to Children's for the additional testing. The scratch tests they did were much more accurate than the blood tests done here, and we also got a prescription for an Epi-Pen just in case G gets something he shouldn't.

We're going to keep going on the wheat and slowly introduce dairy, just to make sure he doesn't react. So all is well in the food department. Grady even gained some weight over the past few weeks, so I guess he was just due for a growth spurt. He's eating more and more table food too, since he acts like a little begging dog anytime anyone else has something to eat. But it's good--he seems willing to try anything, and he also seems to like just about everything he tries. Not like someone else we know, but I hesitate to name any names....Evan.

Jerry and Tammy were in town over the weekend. She has already returned to New York, but Jerry will be here through the end of the week, which Evan is very excited about. We took them to the spillway down here on Saturday (which Tammy was alternately impressed and disgusted by) and then we went up to Erie Sunday to go to Waldameer with the two of them and Timmy. We really enjoyed ourselves and Ev was in his glory with all the fun and attention. I think Grady had a pretty great time too, though he was a little annoyed that he couldn't go on most of the rides.

This week will be another busy one, stopping Wednesday for a picnic and fireworks (though I'm not sure we'll be brave enough to go to the "Boom Over The Bay" that has replaced Mercyhurst's usual display). Evan is really excited about the fireworks this year though, so we'll have to figure something out. Maybe it will be "Boom in Belle Valley" instead.

Posted by jenny at 9:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)